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The American lion (''Panthera leo atrox'' or ''P. atrox'') – also known as the North American lion, Naegele’s giant jaguar or American cave lion – is an extinct lion of the family Felidae, endemic to North America and northwestern South America during the Pleistocene epoch (340,000 to 11,000 years ago), existing for about 0.33 million years.〔 〕 It has been shown by genetic analysis to be a sister lineage to the Eurasian cave lion (''Panthera leo spelaea'' or ''P. spelaea'').〔 The American lion is one of the largest types of cat ever to have existed, slightly larger than the early Middle Pleistocene primitive cave lion, ''P. leo fossilis'' and about 25% larger than the modern African lion. == Description == The American lion is an extinct animal that originated in North America and is believed to have colonized northwestern South America as part of the Great American Interchange.〔Kurtén, B., and E. Anderson. 1980. ''Pleistocene mammals of North America''. Columbia University Press, New York〕 (However, the fossil remains found in Peru may actually correspond to large jaguars.〔Seymour, K. L. (1983). The Felinae (Mammalia: Felidae) from the Late Pleistocene tar seeps at Talara, Peru, with a critical examination of the fossil and recent felines of North and South America. MSc thesis, University of Toronto.〕) The head-body length of the American lion is estimated to have been and it would have stood at the shoulder. Thus, it was smaller than its contemporary competitor for prey, the giant short-faced bear, which was the largest carnivoran of North America at the time. The American lion was not as heavily built as the saber-toothed cat ''Smilodon populator'', which may have weighed up to . Sorkin (2008) estimated the American lion to weigh roughly ,〕〔Merriam, J. C. & Stock, C. 1932: The Felidae of Rancho La Brea. Carnegie Institution of Washington Publications 442, 1–231.〕 but a more recent study showed an average weight for males of and for the largest specimen analyzed.〔 Around 100 specimens of American lions have been recovered from the La Brea Tar Pits, in Los Angeles, so their body structure is well known. The features and teeth of the extinct American lion strongly resemble those of modern lions, but they were considerably larger. The American lion is believed to be the largest subspecies of lion. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「American lion」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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